Jittery K-40 processing?

[Alex]

I have posted in the past asking who Super-8 shooters use for repair.

At most, 3-5 places worldwide were named.

It appears most would rather find another camera than find a good repair guy.

When do you think your camera was last serviced?

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Alex

[kbrady]

That's been my experience, too. And once you find a repair source, the quality of work varies widely. I had a case where the problem was actually fixed, but the camera was returned with a NEW problem caused during the repair...

...So you think it's most likely the camera? I've never had it camera serviced. But that would be one way to rule it out as the problem. Thanks for the input.

KBrady

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[chas_ucla]

I've mentioned this before...but if you want an honest repair guy who won't charge an arm and a leg...try Nick at SML Camera
310-306-8511.

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[kbrady]

Chas - Thanks. I _did_ send one of my super 8 cameras to Nick and got a very fast turnaround. Nice guy, too. In fact,I am calling him today about working on another camera!

KBrady

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[Regular 8 Freak]

I'll have to contact Nick as well. I have a super 8 camera in need of repair. Finding anyone who will attempt this has been really difficult. Thanks for the info!!!

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[kbrady]

I recently shot 11 carts of K40, all in the same camera (Canon 1014-E), all on same day, and all sent and returned as a batch to Kodak for processing.

Problem: Footage on 6 reels has a systematic up-and-down image jittering (say, every 2-secs, like a "wave"), which looks like virations from the camera -- but it was on a solid tripod. PLUS -- footage/images on the other 5 reels were steady as expected.

Has anyone had this happen? Do you know if this kind of "image jittering" can happen in processing? Kodak has better QC than that, right?

So the other source would the camera (the projector tested fine with other reels), OR the K-40 carts (bought recently from Adorama) -- maybe the film was wound to tight in the K-40 carts and was "sticking". But 6 carts? Doesn't seem likey.

If it's the camera, the 5 steady reels suggest it's an "intermittant" problem. The motor and shutter run very smoothly. Which is why I think the camerta is OK and I suspect the carts or the processing.

Any comments or insights? Thanks in advance. IMHO, Having to use 20-year old cameras and waiting 3 weeks to see you have faulty footage is the worst part of shooting Super 8.

KBrady

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[#Pedro]

every two seconds--- seems strange to me. The well-known cardrige jittering is very fast, nearly with framerate frequency. Nevertheless it could be another type of cardrige problem. Maybe it could help to beat every cardrige several times on a table before loading, in order to loosen the loops.
But it could be a camera problem, too. I would let check the transport mechanism, springs etc. in a good, specialized service job, giving them an example roll of film.
Pedro

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[Scottness]

I 've had a similar problem with my Beaulieu 4008 - I still don't know the cause but I suspect it may have been a loose screw which secures the camera body to the camera handle - so despite the sturdiness of the tripod the body could have wobbled imperceptably to us -- I'm going to do some test footage and try and find out -- I started a similar thread a while ago - check out
http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/Forum239/HTML/001323.html

it may help

Scot M

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[kbrady]

Pedro --

You're right -- the jitter is almost frame-rate, but it actually increases (worsens) over approx. 2-3 second cycles then repeats, with the jittering continuing thoughout the reel.

I saw the other thread about being careful not to "jam" the carts too tightly against the pressure plate, and I might have been guilty of that.

The odd thing is that some reels in my batch were perfectly stable. And I've shot dozens in the same camera that were fine. I am going to shoot a test reel before surrendering to a tech exam.

KBrady

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[Alex]

Apparently we have another post going and there is a general consensus it could be the cartridge.

You may want to check it out. It sounds exactly like what has happened to your cartridges.

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Alex